African fig fly
The African fig fly is a small vinegar fly, a cousin of the tiny flies that buzz around a fruit bowl. It started out in central Africa. Today it lives in warm places all around the world.
How fast is it?
Fun facts
Scientists first described it from a fly found in India, but they think it really comes from central Africa.
It has spread to warm places all over the world, and also to southern Europe and the United States.
It belongs to the vinegar fly family, the same family as the little fruit flies people see in kitchens.
Most asked questions about African fig fly
?Is the African fig fly dangerous?
No. It is a small fly that does not bite or sting.
?Where does the African fig fly come from?
Scientists think it comes from central Africa. Now it lives in warm places around the world.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Zaprionus indianus
- Group
- Flies and mosquitoes
- Family
- Drosophilidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Diptera > Drosophilidae
- Lives on
- Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America
Where the facts come from
- Zaprionus indianus (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by KimvdLinde. CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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